Head restraint assemblies, which generally comprise a headrest component—commonly called a bun—adjustably supported above a seat-back, protect a vehicle occupant from serious injury due to sudden acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle. Conventionally, head restraint assemblies for at least front row vehicle seats are of the “high pivot” type—i.e., they permit adjustment of the headrest component forwardly and/or rearwardly relative to the seat-back in order to permit their proper positioning for the occupant. Adjustment is typically accomplished with a ratchet-style mechanism which permits the headrest component to be moved into one of a plurality of positions, each defined by the ratchet mechanism. Upon occupant actuation of a release means (such as, for instance, a button or lever), the ratchet mechanism is released to permit the head restraint to move under spring bias to either a full-forward—or folded—position or a full-upright position, depending upon the design of the head restraint assembly. From the folded position, the headrest component can be moved rearwardly toward the full-upright position while, from the full-upright position, the head restraint can be moved forwardly toward the forward position. According to either design, actuation of the release means causes the headrest component to move into one of the full-upright or folded positions with considerable force and speed. Ultimately, this force results in excessive wear on the components of the head restraint assembly, thereby prematurely reducing the operable lifetime of the assembly.
In second and third row vehicle seats, by contrast, the head restraint assemblies are typically cam-locked in an upright position and are not adjustable between the upright and folded positions. With increasing frequency, second and third row vehicle seats are also of the “STOW-AND-GO” type, according to which the seat and its associated headrest component are folded into essentially horizontal, stowed positions which provide greater interior storage room in the vehicle. In these “STOW-AND-GO” type systems, actuation of a release means causes the headrest component to be urged, under spring bias, into the folded position at a high rate of speed. Movement of the headrest component at this high rate is particularly necessary in applications where the release means is actuated simultaneously, or nearly simultaneously, with the movement of the vehicle seat back into the folded position. In such applications, it is important that the headrest component be in its folded position before the vehicle seat back reaches its folded position. Otherwise, the headrest component will abut the seat ahead of it and interfere with movement of the vehicle seat back into its folded position. In these applications as well, the force of motion of the head restraint assembly ultimately results in excessive wear on the head restraint assembly, thereby prematurely reducing its operable lifetime.